Putting overseas personnel at risk

The two parties in Congress finally worked together to produce legislation, and they managed to produce something that undermines national security, destroys American credibility with our allies, and threatens to create a free-for-all atmosphere in foreign affairs.

Congress voted overwhelmingly on Sept. 28 to override President Obama’s veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which now becomes law.

At first blush, JASTA seems earnest in its desire to honor the families of 9/11 victims. But it makes for bad policy, cobbled together by lawmakers looking to score political points before the November elections.

Unfortunately, emotion and politics, not rational policymaking, have driven this regrettable decision. "If JASTA is allowed to become law, it will completely undercut sovereign immunity protections upon which the United States and all sovereign nations have relied for centuries, and our troops, our diplomats and all U.S. government personnel working overseas could very well find themselves subject to lawsuits in other countries,” wrote former U.S. national security officials in an open letter to President Obama and the Congress. “Our national security interests, our capacity to fight terrorism and our leadership role in the world would be put in serious jeopardy.”

There are many in Congress who finally agree that JASTA could lead to serious unintended consequences. Having made their statement of support for the families, Congress now needs to find a way out of the mess it has created. We can’t afford to upset hundreds of years of international law and put U.S. overseas personnel at risk.

Zach Schultz, Simi Valley

Read or Share this story: https://www.vcstar.com/story/opinion/readers/2016/10/11/putting-overseas-personnel-risk/91925566/